Novel & Cerita A Shadow In The Ember Series

"We've always thought of Jen as a level-headed person. How could she have messed up like this? It was your meddling all along! "How could you be so cruel? Sabotaging your own sister?" What a joke. In my previous life, I stopped her and was blamed by everyone. This time, I let her be, and still, I was the one they blamed. Was I supposed to stand there and take the fall for everything?

"This power… it predates the Temple." "Older than your blood," the shadow murmured. It turned its attention to Ember. "She awaits you. Bound. Starving. Fading." Ember advanced despite her better judgment. "Who awaits me?" The shadow’s empty face tilted. "The Luna who first bore the curse. The one whose agony granted you life." Ember’s breath caught. "My ancestor…" Kai’s grip on her wrist tightened painfully. "Do not heed its words." Yet the shadow leaned in closer, its voice becoming a whisper within Ember’s mind.

Her fingers clutched the amulet, dawn catching her braids, a seer’s warning sharp, her hand trembling, a new vision flickering—dark spires, a sky of ash, a voice not her own. Mara’s hand grazed her dagger, brown eyes blazing, voice sharp, cord gleaming. “Curse, shadow—let it come, I’ll carve its heart out.” Ember snarled, ready. Pack’s pack, Mara—hunt it, guard him. She glanced at Jasper, his warmth her hearth, Sam’s fire her guide. “Jas, you feel that wind? It’s not just ash—it’s calling.”

THE SHADOW BRIDEThe next few days slip into each other, a blur of routine and unsettling moments. I should have known this marriage wouldn’t be normal. It’s never been normal, not since the moment I stepped into Camille’s shoes. But it’s not just the family or the house that feels wrong—it’s Elias. Every time he’s near me, it’s like a storm brewing in the distance. He doesn’t speak much, but when he does, his words are clipped, laced with something I can’t place. Guilt? Anger? Maybe both.

Melody stands at the top of the stairs and looks down at her children and the two dogs in the amber light, and then she closes the door carefully, the way you close a door to a room where someone you love is sleeping. Upstairs the shop is all shadow and salt-smell. Outside, the wind has a voice now. Not a howl—too early for that—but a presence, a register, the bottom note of something that will get louder. The boards over the windows make it dim as dusk in here, though the sky has only just gone to amber.

Fenric POV Shadow Luna Packhouse She moved like moonlight. Not fast. Not dramatic. Not trying to be anything she wasn’t. Just… gentle. Warm. Soft in the way the world didn’t deserve but desperately needed. Emara. My mate. My pulse kicked every time she laughed, every time her smile brightened a room, every time her shadowfire flickered around her fingers as she helped a young Omega fix a broken drawer or soothed an elderly wolf’s aching joints.

The flickering sparks danced across her smiling face, but in that glow, I suddenly saw Alyssa's silhouette from last year's Moon Goddess Festival. She was standing by the altar, setting off her own fireworks. "Matteo, this color is so beautiful." I snapped back to reality and blinked hard. "What's wrong? You don't look so good," Sabrina said, coming to stand in front of me. I shook my head with a frown, and Sabrina grabbed another firework and went to play by the shore alone. Why did Alyssa's shadow keep haunting my mind? I grew increasingly irritated. I sat on the rocks for a long time before finally pulling out my phone and opening Alyssa's chat window.

she asked. "Not this lifetime or next," I said firmly. "You’re mine. Look at me, say it, Emily. Say you’re mine." "Yours," she whispered. Then she lifted her head. "And Shadow can come." I laughed, finally like I never had in a while. "Of course. Is he your familiar?" I asked. Shadow, the sleek silver snake who seemed always to appear when Emily needed him most, was more than just a pet—he was her magical familiar, a spirit creature bound to her. He protected her, sensing her emotions and keeping her company through everything.

Ember. The thought of her consumed my mind even in the heat of battle. I yearned for her safety even as I wanted to be with her. And I could be as soon as I killed Lukas. That son of a bitch was probably lurking somewhere in the city, watching from a safe distance like the spineless coward he was. The sooner I found him, the sooner I’d be able to go to Ember. With renewed vigor, I pushed forward through the oncoming warrior. With Grey and the other shadow walkers at my side, we fought our way through the city streets, the tide of battle gradually shifting in our favor.